Returning home after a hard day of manual labor to sit in front of the charts—this is the life of today's guest, "Laborer Trader." Working day-labor construction jobs, he has pursued prop trading for the past year.
After a year filled with trial and error, he used his Payout not for himself, but to buy shoes for his 200-day-old niece, telling himself, "Stay grounded, and keep improving."
Humble about his current skill level yet clearly aware of what needs improvement, here is his candid story.

A Deposit Notification After a Hard Day's Work

Q. Hello! For our readers meeting you for the first time, please introduce yourself and your handle.

A. Hello, I go by 'Laborer Trader.' I work as a day laborer, and it's been nearly a year since I started prop trading. It has been a year full of trial and error.

Q. Congratulations on your Payout! What was the first thought that crossed your mind when you received the deposit notification?

A. 'This trade finally paid off!' I felt great. Then I told myself, 'Stay grounded, stay focused, and keep getting better.'

Q. How did you spend that Payout?

A. Over the Lunar New Year holiday, I bought a cute pair of shoes for my lovely 200-day-old niece. I also plan to buy clothes for my sibling's family and give some cash to my parents.

Cute shoes for his niece

Q. There are many prop firms out there. Why LifeUp?

A. LifeUp has a Daily Loss Limit. If my market view is wrong and I take a loss, it prevents me from taking further trades. Psychologically, that was a huge benefit.
When you hit a loss, you naturally want to recover it through impulsive trading. When revenge trades fail, it often spirals into compounding losses. That was especially true for me, which is why I chose LifeUp.

Q. From your actual experience, what stands out as LifeUp's key advantage?

A. Other prop firms often don't set a clear withdrawal threshold, making it hard to discipline yourself on when to stop trading. With LifeUp, for example on a 50K account, once you cross $53,000, you are eligible for a Payout. I traded strictly with the mindset of 'just hit this target,' and that's how I secured my Payout.
Also, unlike other firms that use Trailing Drawdown calculated tick-by-tick in real time, LifeUp uses an EOD (End of Day) system, which significantly reduced the psychological pressure.

Q. Honest feedback is always welcome. Is there anything you would like to see improved?

A. In my personal opinion, the 7-day minimum trading requirement feels a bit long; shortening it would be great. I also feel the Evaluation account pricing is slightly higher compared to other firms. Earning day-labor wages, it sometimes makes me hesitate before purchasing.

What a Year of Trial and Error Taught Me

Q. How has your trading changed compared to when you first looked at the charts a year ago?

A. When I first looked at the charts, I was overconfident and thought I would succeed easily. But things rarely went as expected. I lacked understanding of prop firm rules and technical chart analysis.
Honestly, I still wouldn't say I'm a consistently profitable trader yet. My account purchase expenses roughly equal my total Payouts, so I haven't turned an overall net profit. However, over the past year, I've constantly focused on refining technical analysis, real-time trade management, and psychology. I'm confident that mastering these will make me a solid trader.

Q. Which instruments contributed most to this success? Could you share your strategy?

A. My primary instruments are Nasdaq and Gold. Both offer strong volatility, allowing for solid gains in relatively short trading sessions. As a manual laborer, I can't watch the screens all day after a physically demanding shift.
I trade using moving averages, RSI, and Bollinger Bands on the 1-hour, 5-minute, and 1-minute charts. For swing positions, I enter based on moving averages and exit in RSI overbought/oversold zones. For scalping, I rely on the 5-minute and 1-minute moving averages alongside RSI and the upper/lower Bollinger Bands. Of course, setups don't always play out textbook, so I adjust in real time. Recently, I have also been studying order flow.

Q. How do you keep your emotions and discipline in check during drawdowns?

A. That is still my biggest weakness. Establishing a strict, reliable routine is my main goal for this year.

Q. What is the biggest difference between trading personal capital versus a prop account?

A. Trading your own capital brings excessive stress, whereas trading with a prop firm significantly eases that psychological burden. Risking a small fee allows you to focus purely on execution and developing your edge—that is the biggest advantage.

Q. What is the single most essential preparation for anyone starting prop trading?

A. You must have a clear plan for managing your psychology when losses happen.

Q. Finally, what is your ultimate goal as a trader?

A. While wishing continued success to LifeUp as Korea's leading prop firm, my ultimate goal is to earn a Funded Account with LifeUp.

"Stay grounded, and keep improving."
The interview with Laborer Trader was transparent and grounded throughout. A trader who honestly acknowledges shortcomings and actively works on them will inevitably succeed. With the discipline to analyze charts after grueling labor and the character to share his first Payout with family, reaching a Funded Account is only a matter of time. LifeUp will be there every step of the way.